Great Western Series

Great Western Series (GWS), also known as the Great Western Tournament Series, was an American paintball tournament circuit founded in 1991 by Russell Maynard, the first editor of Action Pursuit Games magazine. Operating primarily in the western United States during the 1990s, the series organised five-player and 10-player tournaments, providing regional competition for amateur and developing teams.[1][2]

The series was promoted by Maynard and, from 1997, Dan Bonebrake. Its tournaments were held in California, Nevada, Oregon, Washington and Hawaii. Teams associated with its early competitions included Naughty Dogs and players who later established San Diego Dynasty.[2][3]

The circuit subsequently developed into the Pan Am Paintball Circuit and, in 2004, the Xtreme Paintball Sports League (XPSL).[2]

History

Establishment (1991–1996)

The Great Western Series was founded in 1991 by Russell Maynard, a paintball journalist and former editor of Action Pursuit Games magazine.[1]

The circuit developed as a regional alternative to national tournament competition, with events organised throughout the western United States.

Its structure allowed amateur teams to compete in organised tournaments while reducing some of the travel and paintball costs associated with national competition.[2]

The series also sanctioned affiliated tournaments organised by participating teams, enabling them to raise funds for further competitive participation.[2]

Expansion (1997–1998)

Dan Bonebrake joined Maynard as a promotional partner in 1997.[1]

The 1997 season included tournaments in Las Vegas, Nevada; San Francisco, California; and Portland, Oregon.

At the Las Vegas event, the Great Western Series and National Professional Paintball League (NPPL) organised separate tournaments at the same venue over the same weekend. The arrangement allowed divisional GWS teams to compete alongside a national tournament attended by professional players.[4]

The 1997 San Francisco tournament was held at Mare Island Paintball in Vallejo, California. Hostile Takeover won the amateur 10-player division, while Lofty II won the novice 10-player competition.[5]

The Portland tournament took place at Enchanted Acres Paintball Park in Scappoose, Oregon. The venue was operated by Dan and Liz Bonebrake and hosted five-player and 10-player competition on wooded playing fields.[6]

The series returned to Enchanted Acres in 1998. Contemporary coverage recorded teams including KAPP, Lofty, Phantom Force, Outsiders and Captain Geech and the Shrimp Shack Shooters.[7]

1999 Hawaii tournament

From 18 to 21 November 1999, the Great Western Series held a major tournament at Turtle Bay Resort on the north shore of Oahu, Hawaii.[8]

The competition included five-player, 10-player and three-player stock-class divisions, with playing areas incorporating woodland, coastal terrain and an inflatable Sup'Air field.

Diablo won the amateur 10-player division, while KAPP won the novice 10-player competition.

In the five-player divisions, Genesis/Swoop won amateur, KAPP won novice and Urban Quest II won rookie.

The stock-class competition was divided into beginner and advanced categories, won by Quack Attack and NIB respectively.

The tournament concluded with an awards ceremony recognising event winners and the 1999 series champions.[8]

Transition to Pan Am (1999–2000)

In 1999, the Great Western Series organisation underwent restructuring with the addition of Liz Bonebrake and Jessica Sparks as promotional partners.[1]

The expanded competition became known as the Pan Am Paintball Circuit.

The Pan Am initially attempted to establish tournaments beyond the western United States. However, contemporary coverage reported limited participation outside the region, and the circuit subsequently concentrated on its established western venues.[1][2]

By March 2000, tournaments were operating under the Pan Am name, including an event in Las Vegas that retained the limited-paint format associated with the Great Western Series.[9]

The Pan Am continued until its reorganisation as the Xtreme Paintball Sports League in 2004.[2]

Competition format

The Great Western Series primarily organised five-player and 10-player tournament paintball.

Competitions were divided by experience, with amateur, novice and rookie classifications represented at different events.

The series permitted teams to bring their own paintballs rather than requiring exclusive purchases from event organisers. It also imposed restrictions on the quantity of paintballs players could carry into matches.[2]

By the end of the 1990s, the standard limited-paint format permitted 200 paintballs per player in certain competitions.[9]

The series also supported stock-class paintball, in which participants used pump-action markers and limited-capacity ammunition systems.

Stock-class tournaments initially operated as supplementary competitions for teams not participating in the main finals. The format subsequently developed into a regular three-player competition within the Pan Am circuit.[10]

Selected tournament results

The following results are drawn from contemporary tournament records and represent selected divisional winners rather than overall season champions.

Year	Tournament	Division	Winner
1997	Las Vegas	Amateur five-player	Marine Team Gold [4]
1997	Las Vegas	Novice five-player	Sick & Twisted [4]
1997	San Francisco	Amateur 10-player	Hostile Takeover [5]
1997	San Francisco	Novice 10-player	Lofty II [5]
1999	Hawaii	Amateur 10-player	Diablo [8]
1999	Hawaii	Novice 10-player	KAPP [8]
1999	Hawaii	Amateur five-player	Genesis/Swoop [8]
1999	Hawaii	Novice five-player	KAPP [8]
1999	Hawaii	Rookie five-player	Urban Quest II [8]
1999	Hawaii	Beginner stock-class	Quack Attack [8]
1999	Hawaii	Advanced stock-class	NIB [8]

Player and team development

The Great Western Series provided tournament experience for several teams and players who subsequently entered national professional competition.

The Naughty Dogs organisation competed in the circuit during its early development, including under the name Lofty.[2]

The series was also associated with the early careers of Oliver Lang, Alex Fraige, Ryan Greenspan and Yosh Rau.

Following their introduction through Eric Crandall and the tournament scene at Mare Island Paintball, the four players travelled to San Diego to compete in a Great Western Series event.

Their experiences helped establish the relationships that subsequently led to the formation of IronKids and San Diego Dynasty.[11]

Media coverage

Great Western Series tournaments were documented by specialist paintball publications, particularly WARPIG.

WARPIG preserved tournament reports, divisional results, photographs and field information from events during the late 1990s.

The tournaments were also featured in early internet paintball video coverage through WARPIG's PigTV.

Productions included Viva Las Vegas, documenting the 1997 Las Vegas tournaments; I Left My Paint in San Francisco, covering the 1997 San Francisco event; and footage from the 1998 Portland and 1999 Hawaii competitions.[12]

References

WARPIG – Pan Am Las Vegas 2002, 4–8 December 2002. Contemporary retrospective documenting the 1991 founding, Russell Maynard, Dan Bonebrake and the transition to Pan Am.
WARPIG – XPSL San Jose 2004, by Bill Mills and Jeff Oliver. History of the Great Western Series, Pan Am Circuit and XPSL.
Paintball History – Great Western Series Tournament Flag from 1997, 4 September 2017. Historical artefact documenting Russell Maynard's tournament circuit.
WARPIG – 1997 Great Western Tournament Series, Las Vegas results.
WARPIG – 1997 Great Western San Francisco results.
WARPIG – 1997 Great Western Portland Tournament.
WARPIG – Great Western Series Portland 1998, contemporary tournament coverage.
WARPIG – 1999 Great Western Series Hawaii Tournament, 18–21 November 1999.
WARPIG – Pan Am Circuit Las Vegas 2000, 24–26 March 2000.
WARPIG – Pan Am San Diego 2002, 14–16 June 2002. Contemporary account of the stock-class competition's development from the Great Western Series.
Los Angeles Times – War Games, by Alex French, 7 May 2006. History of Dynasty's founders and their participation in the Great Western Series.
WARPIG PigTV – Classics Archive, 1997–1999. Historical Great Western Series tournament video coverage.

External links